In The Lives in Objects, Jessica Yirush Stern presents a thoroughly researched and engaging study of the deerskin trade in the colonial Southeast, equally attentive to British American and Southeastern Indian cultures of production, distribution, and consumption. Stern upends the long-standing assertion that Native Americans were solely gift givers and the British were modern commercial capitalists. This traditional interpretation casts Native Americans as victims drawn into and made dependent on a transatlantic marketplace.

This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of U.S. Indian policy history, offering a concise resource for students, educators, government employees, and general readers. It serves as a unified reference to better understand the evolution and impact of these policies.